Internet Technology, Marketing and Security - Assignment Example

? Internet Technology, Marketing and Security Internet technology, marketing and security Introduction The onset and growth of internet usage in the world did not only change how we live and do our work but also how we do business. The use of the internet has greatly increased across the globe with a very great percentage of internet users using social media networks. The main social media platforms that are being used include Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube, and LinkedIn where Facebook has the greatest market share. Social media, though an emerging trend is becoming part of everyday life and most businesses ranging from SMEs to corporate companies are now using social media marketing strategies. With today’s dynamic world social media platforms is also increasing tremendously with the current trends in information and communication technology (ICT) making the world more or less a global village. Businesses that have been swift to move with the current trend have seen great success whereas those that are not dynamic enough to embrace technology have often collapsed. Social media marketing has gained tremendous popularity and use in the recent past by entrepreneurs at all levels of business. There are very many companies that have succeeded and benefited from using social media marketing including Pepsi Co. and Ford just to mention a few, and others like Kodak have faced great decline because of not being swift in embracing technology and dynamism. There are very many reasons why social media has become increasingly popular among entrepreneurs in the recent past as the state of the art marketing tool. Many people have switched from the traditional telecommunication tools to adopt the emerging technologies in the ICT sector. There has been a paradigm shift from the traditional media such as television, radio, newspapers and magazines, which are seen as one-way and static communication technologies, to the current trend of online sources and social media as communication tools (Zarrella, 2010). In a way, it can be said that the traditional media has lost a lot of its popularity to the new social media thus, companies can only reach many people through the social media. The paradigm shift in communication has also shifted consumer markets to a great extent changing the orientation of the business playing field (Evans, 2010) People are no longer seeking News as it was in the recent past but instead News is looking for them, all this courtesy of the recent developments in ICT (Zarrella, 2010). People are no longer buying information and knowledge but it has become free in the social networks. The information has also become free of constraints of place, free of control of content and free of restrictive access on consumption. The social media dramatically levels the playing field by making the information plentiful and available just like it levels the businesses and organisations that work on the principle that make information scarcer (Evans, 2010). Social media platforms somehow create virtual communities by bringing people together in creating, manipulating and sharing information. Companies that use social media marketing are able to reach out to these social communities and interact with them more closely in a way that they share information thus strengthening the communities (Qualman, 2012). The organisation using social media has a more interactive and deep relationship with their customers compared to companies using traditional media. In this way, the company can get instant feedback from the customers regarding their products and thus learn more about the feelings and perception of the people/consumers concerning their product and services. In this way, they can improve their products to suit the needs of their customers in a more appropriate manner (Zarrella, 2010). On the other hand, those companies using traditional media cannot have a deep dialogue with the customers because the communication is one-way. For instance if you do not agree with an advertisement on a magazine or TV, you cannot give your feedback to the source. Social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter provide an excellent platform for business organisations to display their products or services in a more efficient and informative way. Social media in a way helps the organisation develop a network of customers through the online relationship where customers can access information regarding the business and the products (Qualman, 2012). The main idea is that consumers are nowadays seeking information from online media such as Yahoo, Google and YouTube before they can purchase anything. Social media provide an interactive session to the organisations where they can convince customers on the benefits of their products compared to other products in the market. Through the interactive sessions customers are able to get information and instant answers to their questions and thus gain more confidence when purchasing the product or in making a decision on which product or service to purchase (Zarrella, 2010) The other reason why many businesses have adopted social media marketing is that it is cheap compared to marketing via the traditional media (Qualman, 2012). In most cases, marketing via social media reaches more people than the organisation had anticipated and it is very easy to reach out to more people without incurring high cost of advertising. The speed within which information spreads in the social media is also appealing where the information about the organisation and its products can flow very fast to reach out to very many consumers. With the tremendous growth of social media industry and increased number of users, it is the best platform for businesses to use for their marketing needs (Qualman, 2012). Advantages and limitations of social media marketing Many businesses use social media marketing because of the benefits involved in using the platform when utilised effectively. The entrepreneurs should also be aware of the shortcomings or the limitations of using social media marketing and the possible risks and threats that this platform may pose to their business. Advantages Appropriate use of the social networks as a marketing tool can highly improve the performance of a business in both its reputation and its products and brands. Social media marketing improves the efficiency and efficacy of marketing taking it to a completely new level. Due to the sheer number of users of social media, information on an organisation or a certain brand can reach very many people (Saiko, 2012). The organisation must post material and information that is appealing to attract potential consumers of their products. Organisations can gain information through the social media to know the latest developments in the industry and in the market. This helps the organisation to make the necessary adjustments in order to suit the needs of their consumers more effectively and remain competitive (Saiko, 2012). Social media marketing is also very cheap compared to other marketing platforms and has a fast flow of information reaching to very many people at very low cost. The social media provide for an interactive session, where people share information, and this serves as a customer service point where consumers can ask questions and get instant feedbacks. The social media platforms also tend to increase the market for products and sales usually go up because the organisation can contact consumers on other new channels (Evans, 2010). Disadvantages There is no perfect marketing tool and just like other marketing platforms, social media marketing has its share of limitations. The social media marketing provide for a two-way interaction model where customers give their feedback on a certain product or service. It is sometimes hard to deal with negative feedback especially if it can be damaging to the organisation or the product (Richardson & Gosnay, 2010). In most cases, feedbacks are public and can be seen by other people and if for instance a consumer is talking about a negative experience with a certain brand, it can be damaging. Social media marketing does not provide for a mechanism for measuring the performance of the organisation on its online marketing strategy. In this, it is very difficult for a company to calculate their return on investment and determine whether the organisation is achieving a progress that is commensurate to the marketing input (Saiko, 2012). Tracking the output of social media marketing is very difficult and the output may not be comparable to the cost incurred in the marketing input. Maintaining a social media account for organisations is highly engaging and somehow expensive in terms of time and resources because the organisation has to set aside resources for this operation. There is required constant contact with consumers and potential customers in the social networks throughout. It is very necessary that relevant and appealing material should be posted continuously and answers to questions provided instantly. Social media marketing can pose legal and business risks to a company because in most cases the social media account is usually run by staff who may misuse the account.. There are always security issues with social network sites and people can maliciously post information that can attract legal actions against the company by other people or organisations (Richardson & Gosnay, 2010). Pepsi Co has set an exemplary trend in social media marketing since it initiated its massive social media campaign in the year 2009. The Pepsi’s Refresh Project is perhaps the most ambitious and outstanding campaign yet in the short history of corporate social media. (Funk, 2011) Through this project, the company made unprecedented development in audience interaction. The company adopts an overt social mission thus a clear path in social media marketing that has tremendously elevated the popularity of its products. Through this social media project, Pepsi Co got a very big popularity and people can forward their ideas and views on the social network sites such as the Pepsi Refresh Facebook fan page which has more than 30 million fans. The company thus use this valuable information to note any changes in the industry and improve their products to better standards. The company has also provided a social media mechanism where consumers can vote for their best drink and even give feedback on the drink. This has enabled the company generate great brands for very many consumers. The company has also introduced a state of the art retail point system, which allows consumers to interact with the brands in a touch screen. The system can even allow a person to send a drink to another person where the individual is informed through a personalised message (Funk, 2011). This is actually giving customers a completely new refreshment experience, Pepsi Co has recently launched a tech incubator program called PuepsiCo10 in which the company will fund new competitive social media, mobile video and gaming ideas. (Funk, 2011) This actually shows that Pepsi’s commitment to social media marketing and development does not end with the Pepsi Refresh project. Other companies that have used social media marketing to their advantage Sony Sony is another company that has really utilised the social media in its marketing efforts. The company has various pages on popular social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google for its different varieties of products (Moth, 2013). The company positions that it is involved in social media in order to pay attention and share stories of loving people who assist in bringing Sony to life (Moth, 2013). The company thus utilise the social media network to get the necessary information that help improve their products and services. The company for instance has a facebook page for Sony PlayStation, which is updated almost weekly with relevant information on games, and new Ps series, which has more than 32 million fans (Moth, 2013). Sony also has other Facebook pages for its wide variety of products where it serves customers and even collects feedback from customers regarding the products. The company also has various Twitter accounts where it markets its products and brands and also has a dedicated customer response system that take care of its customers, this helps make Sony the force to reckon with in the industry of electronics in the world. Dell Another company that has tapped the power of social media is Dell, like other companies utilizing social media it has several official accounts on popular social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. The greatest success in Dell’s effort to utilise the social media is perhaps seen in its popular website the Ideastorm where users add ideas for new product lines and enhancements, vote them up or down and comment on submissions (Zarrella, 2010). It is because of this that Dell has greatly increased its sales and it has started to ship computers with Linux connected and has started communal upkeep (Zarrella, 2010). The interaction that the company has had with the consumers in the social media has helped the company improve its products and introduced new products to the market. Conclusion With the onset and advancement of internet technology, communication has shifted from the traditional telecommunication technology to online-based communication, which is dominated by social media. This has dramatically changed the playing field in business marketing where many businesses are using social media marketing. Many businesses have benefited from using social media marketing such as Pepsi Co., Sony and Dell. Many businesses ranging from SMEs to large corporations have adopted social media marketing. With the increasing internet usage in the world, social media marketing will be the ultimate marketing tool. In the near future, the success of a business will be dependent on how well the business can utilise the social media for its marketing needs. The businesses that will not be able to utilise the social media will face an eminent threat of being thrown out of the market. References Evans, D. (2010). Social Media Marketing: The Next Generation of Business Engagement. Indianapolis: John Wiley & Sons. Funk, T. (2011). Social Media Playbook for Business: Reaching Your Online Community with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and More:. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. Moth , D. (2013). How Sony uses Facebook, twitter, Pinterest and Google. Retrieved From http://econsultancy.com/ke/blog/62821-how-sony-uses-facebook-twitter-pinterest-and-google Qualman, E. (2012). Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Richardson, N., & Gosnay, R. (2010). A Quick Start Guide to Social Media Marketing: High Impact Low-Cost Marketing that Works. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Saiko, L. (2012). The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Zarrella, D. (2010). The Social Media Marketing Book. Sebastopol: O'Reilly Media, Inc. Read More